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Monday, March 4, 2013

Egg Shell Seed Starters

It's that time of year again when we begin planning our gardens and Spring decorating. The boys have been begging to plant some seeds, so I saved the egg shells from our baking. The benefit to using leftover egg shells is obvious: it's cheap and organic.

Eggs make the best seedling starters and wonderful centerpieces for Spring. I left the shells natural brown, but in the past I have dyed them colors. Once your seeds have sprouted- uncover them and display them. I like to line them up on the dining table in egg cups or nestled in a long basket filled with green grass.

To start your seeds in egg shells, here is what you do:

Rinse out empty egg shells and place them in a carton for stability.

Fill each shell with soil and mix with a bit of water. I use a spaghetti stick or toothpick to move around the dirt.

Place your desired seeds in each egg. If you are looking for fast centerpieces, grass or lettuce seeds work well and sprout fast. We chose pepper and flower seeds today.

Water or spritz the egg cups to germinate the seeds.

Seal the watered eggs in a plastic bag to promote a "greenhouse" effect. Remove the seedlings after they appear and start hardening them for outdoor planting.

Finally, you can use them for a centerpiece or plant them in the garden. When you get ready to plant, just crack the bottom of the shells and plant. There is no need to remove them from the shells and risk hurting the plants.